Healthy
Eating will top countless New Year’s resolution lists this year. The Crunch a
Color kids decided to take on this challenge in a new way: 52 weeks, 52 new foods (#52NewFoods). I
hope you and your picky eaters will join us on this yearlong adventure of
eating healthy and trying new, kid-friendly, easy recipes. Jamie Oliver will
feature our culinary journey -- it’s a New Year’s food revolution!

Crisp air and sunlight sparkling on the Golden Gate Bridge
served as a perfect backdrop to our family outing. The fresh market was buzzing
with curious customers sampling and savoring delicious treats from local
artisans and farmers. It was New Year’s Day and a visit to the farmer’s market
in San Francisco was top on my list for starting 2012 on the right track. The
goal: Try a new healthy food every week. 52 weeks, 52 new foods. A healthy
eating adventure for my whole family.

Eating healthy will top many lists of New Year’s resolutions
this year, my family included. Instead of focusing on what we can’t have, I am
challenging my family to find and try healthy new foods to expand our
repertoire of favorites. Putting the children in charge of this culinary adventure
is the key to success: when they choose, they are more likely to enjoy. Each
week I will write about a new food that my family will try. Whether it’s an
entirely new healthy food, like the Jujube’s we sampled at the market that
sunny Sunday in San Francisco, or old favorites prepared in a new way, my
family and I will try a healthy food and recipe from aspiring Jamie Oliver Food
Revolution chefs each week.

Week #1: OnionYou may be thinking, “Onion, is that really
new to you?” Well, it’s certainly not new to me but my picky eater runs a fast
mile when she spots them on her plate. My jaw dropped when I spotted her gobbling
up a delicately pan-fried onion pancake at the market. She even ventured to try
a belly-warming, homemade organic fennel and cipollini onion soup. Maybe it was
the new twist on a familiar food that got her past her picky palate? Or maybe
it was because she got to choose what she would try from a magnificent array of
artisanal creations? Whatever the reason, this staple of healthy eating will be
our starting point this year.

Featured Recipe: Out of the Box Food's Vegetable Beef SoupWith loads of leftovers from bountiful holiday celebrations,
I decided Out of the Box Food’s healthy take on Vegetable Beef Soupwould be the perfect place to start, where onions form the
foundation of this hearty dish. Kim Gerber does an outstanding job turning some
of America’s favorite dishes into healthy, easy recipes that your whole family
will enjoy. I hope you’ll join me this week in trying Kim’s recipe. Scout out an
unusual onion (or two) to feature in your creation and be sure to share your
stories and favorite recipes. Let me know if you've got a great recipe that you'd like me to try. I’ll report back on our experiment next week!

About the author: Jennifer Tyler Lee is a mom of two
children and the creator of Crunch a Color™
-- the award-winning game that makes healthy eating fun. Like most parents, she
struggled to get her kids to eat healthy, balanced meals, so she decided to
make it into a healthy
eating game and she’s giving back to support Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution,
FoodCorps, and Alice Water’s Edible Schoolyard. Watch her picky
eaters tell the story of how they turned into healthy eaters
playing the game. Follow @crunchacolor and #52newfoods to tune into Crunch a Color's healthy eating adventure and Jennifer’s tips and kid-friendly, easy recipes.